Mother's Day is just a Sunday away, so while you're trying to think of the perfect gift or treat for your dear mum, why not contemplate its origins and check out our handy tips with MyFamily's Guide to Mother's Day!

How Mother's Day came to be

It's not exactly precise when Mother's Day first started, but its earliest roots are said to be in ancient Greece. The Greeks celebrated a spring festival dedicated to the mother of their gods, Rhea, while the Romans observed a similar festival to Cybele, great mother of their gods. The early Christians in England started celebrating a day to worship the Virgin Mary, mother of Christ in the 1600s on the fourth Sunday of Lent.

This was later expanded to include all mothers by the 1800s and was known as Mothering Sunday. On this day, apprentices and servants would be given the day off to go home to see their mothers, and they would usually bring them a gift of some sort of mothering cake - a fruit cake or simnels (a fruit-filled pastry).

By the 1900s this tradition had died out in England, but in America, three women were significant in starting a new tradition there. Anna Jarvis, and Appalachian housewife, decided to start a day called “Mother's Work Day” to publicise poor health conditions in her community. When she died, her daughter, the second Anna Jarvis, wanted her mother's work to be recognised. She handed out white carnations (her mother's favourite flower) out at her church and lobbied businessmen and politicians until in 1914, Woodrow Wilson passed a bill making Mother's Day a national holiday. Julia Ward Howe, an author, poet and pacifist, also campaigned for women to have a special day where they could rally for peace. This all contributed to creating Mother's Day in America, which is celebrated on the second Sunday of May.

While Mother's Day became very commercialised, it was very popular, and we here in England picked the tradition back up again after World War II, when American servicemen reintroduced it to us.

Fun Mother's Day Ideas

This Mother's Day, you could always try making something special and homemade for your mother instead of just taking her out for lunch, or pass this guide to your husband, nanny or babysitter to help your children make a special little something for you: